Triple Berry Muffin Cake. Photo: Lunds & Byerlys
For some couples, the wedding celebration spills over to the next day with gift opening parties or gatherings to bid farewell to traveling guests and the honeymooners. If the plan is informal and held at home, consider serving small bites, accompanied by coffee, tea, juice and, if needed, a pitcher of the hair of the dog.
Triple Berry Muffin Cake
This moist cake features a wonderful medley of fresh berries and a crispy, crumbly topping, just like your favorite breakfast muffin. Notes: If you use frozen berries, do not thaw them beforehand. Think about making an extra batch(es), since a single recipes yields 10–12 servings. Don’t worry about time with this cake; prep and baking only add up to about an hour.
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup shortening
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¾ cup blueberries
- ¾ cup raspberries
- ¾ cup strawberries, sliced
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. butter, melted
Heat oven to 375 F. Combine ¾ cup sugar, shortening and egg in a large mixing bowl; beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Beat in milk and vanilla. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt; fold in the berries. Pour into greased and floured 9 by 9-inch baking pan. Combine ⅓ cup sugar and melted butter; sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. (This can be made in advance and warmed before serving if desired.)
DIY Bloody Mary Mix
Add your special touch to brunch with this easy, homemade version of a classic morning sipper. Notes: One batch should serve 8–10 guests, but consider the size of the serving glassware. With a prep time of only 15 minutes, it’ll be easy enough to make additional batches if guests love this recipe as much as we think they will.
- 8 tomatoes, peeled, blended and strained
- 3 Tbsp. fresh horseradish
- 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper, freshly ground
- 2 Tbsp. Cholula hot sauce
- juice of 3 limes
- ½ tsp. celery salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ white onion, grated
- 2 cups vodka
- bar accoutrements, listed below
Blend all ingredients together in a high-powered blender until smooth. Mix with 2 cups vodka per batch. Garnish with your favorite accoutrements:
- bacon
- celery
- cheese
- hot sauce
- lemon wedges
- lime wedges
- meat sticks
- olives
- pickles
- salami
- shrimp
- summer sausage
- Worcestershire sauce
Lemon Popovers
From the original The Best of Byerly’s cookbook, lemon peel adds a fresh taste to these crispy, puffy popovers. Notes: Depending on how many guests plan to attend, consider doubling (or tripling) the recipe. (Remember: Minnesotans love popovers, so more than one per guest should be considered!) Think about timing; baking alone can take at least 70 minutes.
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups milk
- 4 eggs
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. lemon peel, grated
- 1 tsp. ground cardamom, optional
Generously grease 10-12 (6 oz.) custard cups or popover pans. Heat oven to 425 F. Combine all ingredients in a blender or a food processor; process until thoroughly blended. Fill greased custard cups ½ inch from the top of each well. (They can stand at room temperature for up to 1 hour.) Bake popovers for 20 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 F, and bake 25-30 minutes. With a bamboo skewer, poke hole in side of each popover; bake 5-10 minutes. (This can be made in advance and warmed before serving if desired.)
Katie Tomsche is the content manager for Lunds & Byerlys. Taste more at lundsandbyerlys.com.
